Thomas M. Horan
How Judge Horan rules, drawn from 20 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Horan
Thomas M. Horan has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Delaware since March 2023. Before joining the bench, he practiced bankruptcy and restructuring law in Wilmington for eighteen years. He earned a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.
Judge Horan's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Horan, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Motions
File a motion to shorten notice together with the underlying request, and email it to chambers with opposing counsel copied.
“Such a motion should be filed contemporaneously with the motion seeking the relief in question. In addition to being filed on the docket, the motion to shorten notice should also be e-mailed to chambers, copying opposing counsel.”
Motions
Do not set a motion on a date requiring shortened notice until an order shortening time has been entered.
“Counsel may not set a motion for hearing, on a date that would require shortened notice, before an order shortening time is entered.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026).
How Judge Horan decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Cautions
A preliminary-injunction request failed where the asserted risk that another action might affect later estate litigation remained speculative.
“this concern is speculative and does not meet the Reilly standard of being ‘more likely than not.’”
Under Delaware law, a claim for an account stated requires more than the recipient's failure to dispute a demanded amount.
“The Trustee’s theory rests exclusively on the Defendant’s alleged failure to dispute the demanded amount, which Delaware authority does not support.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The motion to dismiss is granted, without prejudice.”
“The trustee’s request for leave to amend the complaint is denied, without prejudice.”
“For the foregoing reasons, the Second Amended Complaint is dismissed.”
“The third-party complaint is therefore dismissed without prejudice to the Salkovitzes’ ability to seek to amend the third-party complaint”
“The motion is granted as set forth herein.”
“The Trustee’s motion is denied.”
“The Court grants in part and denies in part Hilco’s motion to dismiss the First Amended Class Action Complaint.”
“For these reasons, the motion to dismiss is denied as to Counts I, III, and IV and granted as to Count II, which is dismissed without prejudice.”
“Therefore, this Court enforces the Concurso Plan and the Concurso Order in their entirety.”
“Plaintiff’s Motion for Comfort [D.I. 32] is denied.”
“and Ashby & Geddes, P.A. [D.I. 58] is denied.”
“Accordingly, this court orders that the Motion to Dismiss is denied.”
“orders that the Motion is granted.”
“The Derivative Rights sale is therefore approved.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Three terminated sampled matters lasted from 276 to 630 days, with a median of 422 days. The sample is descriptive and is not a complete caseload census.
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